Ahistory of surfing the history of surfing ) goes back a long way. it seems to (form) a central part of the culture of the polynesian people, who were inhabitants of islands in the pacific ocean such as samoa, tonga and hawaii. these people ) surfing as a mere recreational activity. for them, it was much more of an art. although surfing ) from many parts of polynesia in the early twentieth century, a small number of people in hawaii ) the tradition alive. in 1912, it spread to the east coast of the united states, and in particular to virginia beach, which became an important surfing centre. surfing developed quite ) from then on, and the design of surfboards became more sophisticated. however, it was not until the 1960s that surfing came ) a truly global phenomenon, boosted not only by the success of surfing films but also by pop songs about surfing culture.